Resilient wheel



C- R. BURRELL RESILIENT WHEEL Feb. 2, 1954 2 Sheets-Shee't 1 Filed Jan. 14, 1950 ,6 IN V EN TOR.

A- Waiv Feb. 2, 1954 c. R. BURRELL 2,667,757

' RESILIENT WHEEL Filed Jan. 14, 1950 ,2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l A AV/ 1o .26 ze- -Z IN V EN TOR.

Patented Feb. 2, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RESILIENT WHEEL Clarence R. Burrell, Cincinnati, Ohio Application January 14, 1950, Serial No. 138,693

This invention relates to cushioned wheels of the type in which rubber or other resilient material is interposed between the wheel rim and the wheel hub, as distinguished from solid metal wheels. It is the purpose of the cushioning material to dampen vibrations which would otherwise cause excessive noise, as well as to absorb shocks or severe strains encountered during operation.

The principal objective of this invention has been to provide a cushioned wheel construction which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, completely safe in operation, and readily demountable such that the cushioning material, when necessary, may be replaced conveniently. In the past, many designs for cushion wheels have been proposed utilizing separable members which are held together by cross bolts or by welding. However, in the welded type of construction, the cushioning material cannot be replaced except at the great expense of removing the welding seam, while the bolted type of construction, though conveniently demountable, is dangerously impractical because of the possibility of bolt failure in any environment where substantial side thrusts must be borne.

The wheels of the present invention embody a hub, a rim, and cushioning material disposed between the two, and to this extent they are similar to past designs. This invention, however, is predicated upon the concept of locating the cushioning material closely adjacent the outermost rim of the wheel upon a seat provided by a flange extending outwardly from the wheel hub, and sustaining the cushioning material in place by means of a keeper member which resides in press-fit connection with the hub. The keeper member, when in press-fit with the hub, maintains the parts in operative assembly, whence its name; but it additionally may also have its outermost periphery configurated to provide a seat for the cushion which complements the cushion seat provided by the flange; or it may, in conjunction with the flange, constitute the means for supporting the resilient mounting uniformly, in order that the concentricity between the hub and wheel rim will be maintained under adverse working conditions. By angulating seat surfaces of the flange and keeper toward one another, the cushioning material may be compressed, or preloaded in the assembling of the component parts, to adapt the design for special loads or special working conditions, and to prevent undesired looseness.

,The wheels of the present invention are.

2 Claims. (CI. 64-41) adapted for use in a wide variety of environments, as wheels of railway vehicles, cars or cranes, where the elimination of noise is an important advantage. In this environment, the outer rims may be flanged at one or both sides for guided rolling movement on a track. On the other hand, the wheels of this invention also are adapted for use as gears with teeth being out upon the outer peripheries of the rims, in which event the rubber cushioning material eliminates gear noise and safeguards the teeth against excessive shock, wear or damage.

A press-fit between cooperating parts is commonly considered to be reliable and durable only so long as the load to which the fit is subjected does not exceed the force required to press the component parts into engagement with one another. Inasmuch as such loads are not predictable with any degree of certainty in railway vehicles, cranes or even gears, a press-fit might be considered too uncertain to be used with safety for the certain purposes. However, the present invention particularly contemplates con structions in which one member of the wheel in the form of a sleeve engages the associated member in the form of a stub over a substantial length in press or shrink-fit connection. One of these members may be the hub and the other the keeper. Any load imposed laterally on the rim will be an unbalanced load to the extent that it will not, at once, extend all the way around the rim, and by virtue of such unbalance, as well as the length of engagement throughout which the press-fit extends, the loading which the press-fit must sustain will be manifest only as a canting of the one member on the other, to make their engagement all the more secure. For this reason the constructions of the present invention are adapted for use under the most severe working requirements, where successions of shocks or high strains caused by lurching of cars or by uneven tracks. are frequently encountered.

From the foregoing principles on which the I present invention is predicated and the following description of the drawings in which various embodiments of the invention are illustrated, those skilled in the art will comprehend various modifications to which the invention is susceptible.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 isa side elevation of a cushioned wheel of the invention shown in rolling engagement on a track.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectionalview taken on .the.

line 2-2 of Figure 1, on a somewhat enlarged scale, showing the arrangement of the parts in section through half of the wheel.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are views similar to Figure 2 showing modified constructions.

Figure 6 is a view of a cushioned gear wheel of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 1-4 of Figure 6 showing a driving interconnection between the .hllbTOf the wheel and therim. of the wheelthrough a cushion.

Figure 8 is a developed sectional view taken. on the line 88 of Figure 7.

In the construction shown in Figures 1 andlizi. the hub of the wheel is indicatedgenerally, at. I, and the outermost rim at 2. The rim-may have flanges 3-3 at one or both sideseso that the? wheel may engage, and be guided by, a track 4.

The hub I of the wheel may be arrangedf'ormounting on an axle in any suitable manner; for purposes of: illustration; the hubiportions. are: shown: in the. accompanying: drawingsa. as em*-. bodyingboressfi'; but; depending-on the-circum stances, the.-hubs..may. beearranged: to be. fixed permanently 'onza shaft;- ori'demountably keyed. to it, or be mounted uporr. anti-friction. bearings: supported by ashaft; orthe like. The mounting: of the wheel .upon. th'ez-shaft' COIlStltlltBszIlOi part .1 of the present invention...

Therim 2: is of ringi construction; andits interior: surfacer constitutes; a. seat indicated: generially at 8 which, in the-constructionsshowniin. Figures 2,: 3 ands iiengagesiaband orlayer of cushioning-material indicated generally ate. The. cushioning material may be. any composition of. suitable resiliency respect tothe service expected ofthewheehsuch as :natural rubber,- or. a synthetic rubber; such :as neoprene; The inner.- faceofrthe cushioning material, inithe construction-shoamrinFigureZais engaged by a metal facing member: IIlJwhichmay be of strip form, cut to length and laid'in'place.

In the preferred construction; the interconnection between thehub: I f of the=wheel and the cushioning material 9 (or. steel. band with which it is: faced) 2 is: censtitutedi by-"memhers E I and :2, member IrI'rbeingsaaflangexintegral with the.

huh. and." extending. outwardly from= it, While member:- iiiconstitutes ailceeper which is inpress or shrml -.-fit:connection with the hub. Thus; the flan-geportion It extends outwardly from the-- hub at one side thereof; leaving a portion of the hub 1 which. is; of substantial: length available to be machined intheiformation of'the pressrefit,

as indicated bysthe surface I3. Keepermember I2, according to the form shown in Figure2, comprises a. flange portion I l which is similar in shape: to the flangeporti'on II but oppositely arranged, while-La skirt I5 is provided at the'cen tral. portion of: the .keeper member, this skirt" being bored accurately for frictional interconnection: with. the machined surface-ofthe hub" under a given force at a given temperature.

The outer peripheries of flange and keeper ii? are eonfi'g-urated to provide seat-surfaces which" engage the metal cushion facing I Wand-thereby support I the rim' of thewheel resiliently upon the hub; Preferably; the seat-"surfaces of the" flange and keeper are inclined toward-1che -arr other, and the interior peripheral surface of the rim is chamfered inwardly from itsxopposite edges atsimilar-angles:sothat the cushioningzmateriai,

in icrossesection; .is'of i wshape; the apex 'of the V being approximately intermediate the edges-of:

cially desirable because it prevents lateral displacement of the rim portion of the wheel with respect to the hub. It is also advantageous in that it enables flat strip cushioning material to be employed. In wheel construction to be utilized under operating conditions in which the lateral load factors are not substantial, the chamfer of the seat surfaces at the interior of the rim may be.omitted.and.a..rnbber. strip, triangular in.:oross-section; utilized in; place; of the flat form of'strip. Under these circumstances, the compressional load impressed on the triangular shaped rubber cushion during assembly wouldiprovide a frictional interconnection between the hub. and rim, at least of sufiicient strengthto resistlight loads.

Inrthe assembly, of." the wheel, since the skirt of the keeper is pressed onto the machined surface of the wheel hub, the cushioning material eventually becomes compressed between the rim and the seatisurfaces'ofthe-keeper'and flange and-may'therefore; bestressed to the extent:de--

sired; in:accordance with the wheel-servicemquirementst For providing cushioning oftherim in adi-- rectionllateraliy of I thecwheel; in'conjunction with the cushioning provided diametrically of the wheeljust described; theouter peripheral edges of the keeper and flange may terminate in fiange portions respectively, and the internal periphery of the rimmaybe provided with shoulders-I 8' respectively, the shoulders I S' being spaced appropriately from the flanges ll 'to'provide'-recesses within which cushioning material may resideture-:2 may be V -shaped in -crcss-section, and pre formed to embody-additional side walls: cushioning. material may-be ofone-piece, pre formedconstruction such that a" stripcut-to a length: slightly less-than the internalperiphery of the rinrmay be laid against the rim, or one ormore fl'at'strips maybe utilized.

Duringprolonged usage'the cushioning material. may wear, become oxidized or deteriorate,

andz'reqnirereplacement. For this purpose,- the" keeper iss-designed sc that it may be removed fromthe hub.- To permit detachment of the keepen a series of smallholes is boredthrough the: flange H in alignment withthe end ofthe skirt I5= of the keeper. Metal pins inserted through-these holes will engage the end'of the skirt and; when pressure is -a-sserted on the pins in uniform manner, the skirtwill be dislodged.

It: is :cont'emplated; of 'cou-rse;-- that" assembly and disassemhly be: conducted in a power press;

For some purposes it may bedesirable to utilize shrink-fit ratherthan press-fit connection between the lteeperand' th'e hub; The skirt portion I Sfof the constructicn shown in Figure 2 could be heated ill assembly of the shirt with the hub, but

the application of heat to-*-the'sl:irt' in order to disassemble-thewheel would be diflio'ult without also-heating the hub; and the pin demounting method. just described might be inadequate to 1 effect slo-igement cf skirt which'was shrunk hub. However; a construction as shown onto in: Fig 1e: adapted particularly" for such ShIlZHKfiticOllllECtl'Ol'lS. In" this arrangement; the

parts areisimilar in principle: andif'uncti'on' to thosedeseribed'in Figure/2; but the keeper iz has I a skirt. which: extends. outwardly, away from flange I i1ratherrthan:.inwar'dlyftowardiit. Thea skirt;v therefore,- is always. accessibie to the: heat of. ezltorch;.wlretherlthe wheelie assembled b-r dis Thus; the cushion material-shown in Fi'g The 1 assembled Wheel, heat is applied to the exposed periphery of the skirt, meanwhile the hub bein cooled to keep it from heating until th difference between the temperatures of two parts enables the keeper to be dislodged.

In the drawings, the exterior surface of the hub is in press or shrink-fit connection with the interior surface of the keeper skirt. However, the relationship of these parts may be just the reverse with equally satisfactory results, that is, the exterior of the skirt of the keeper being machined and sufliciently long to form a press-fit connection with the interior of the hub. In this event, the interior of the skirt may be adapted to engage an axle or to receive an anti-friction bearing which, in turn, engages the axle.

In Figure 4 a modified form of construction is shown in which the irmer surface of the chamfered rim portion of the wheel is angulated to a greater extent than the forms shown in Figures 2 and 3. In this construction the cushioning material is not subjected to substantial shearing forces in assembly of the components of the wheel and the slip effect provided by the sheet metal facing I is not required.

Figure 5 shows a car wheel construction in which the interconnection between the rim and hub is provided by a plurality of studs surrounded with resilient material and having their endwise portions supported respectively in bores in the flange I I and the keeper I2. This arrangement provides a positive, although cushioned, driving connection between the hub and the rim which is adapted for driver wheels and the like where slippage, which might occur along the cushion faces in the previous constructions, could not be tolerated. The cross studs 20 terminate in stud ends 2| and 22, but preferably are tapered from one end to the other in their central portions. In

the tapered areas the studs are surrounded by resilient shields 23. These resilient shields, which conform externally to the taper of the studs, are received respectively in aligned tapering bores extending through an interior annular portion 24 of the rim 2. The inner faces of the flange I I and keeper I2 adjacent their outer peripheries are spaced from the sidewise edges of the annular rim portion 24 for the reception of lateral thrust cushions 25. Movement of the keeper toward the flange I I exerts a compressive effect upon all cushions for the preloading thereof.

Another arrangement for positive, though resilient, driving interconnection between a hub and rim member is shown in Figures 6-8. In this construction the rim of the wheel which is of ring formation, has an inwardly extending rib 26 which is of serpentine configuration. Flange II and keeper I2 have their inner faces adjacent their outer peripheries similarly shaped, and strips of rubber cushioning material 2'I -2'I are interposed between the side faces of serpentine rib 26 and the correspondingly configurated faces of the flange and keeper respectively. The facets constituted by the serpentine configuration at the opposite sides of the rib thus provide teeth which cooperatively bear upon the corresponding facets of the flange II and the keeper I2 through the interposed cushions 21-21 and, therefore, the rim and hub are arranged in positive driving connection. However, in addition, diametrical cushioning is providedby interposing the cushioning layers 2328 intermediate the inner peripheral surfacesof the rim adjacent the rib and the outer peripheries of the keeper and flange in compressive arrangement substantially the same as that shown in Figure 2. It is desirable that the serpentine rib be formed by casting or forging to avoid excessive machining costs. Therefore, the outer rim of a wheel of this type may be of twopart construction; the innermost ring member, having the serpentine rib, being cast or forged, while the outermost member may be made of steel or alloy adapted to be hardened to withstand strain or wear. This type of construction is particularly suitable for use in gear Wheels which are subjected to adverse surface conditions, but which are nevertheless to operate with a minimum of noise. 4

Having described my invention, 1 claim:

1. A resilient wheel comprising, a hub having a machined peripheral surface of substantial length, an outer rim of ring configuration having a layer of cushioning material at its internal periphery, the said hub, at an endwise portion thereof, having a flange extending laterally from the axis thereof, the said flange having an outer peripheral portion in circumferential supporting engagement with a portion of the said cushioning layer, and a keeper member having an outer peripheral portion in circumferential supporting engagement with another portion of said cushioning layer, the said keeper member having a central portion terminating adjacent the said flange, and being in tight frictional engagement with the said machined surface of the hub throughout substantially the entire length thereof, the said keeper member having a flange portion located adjacent the first said flange and interconnecting the central portion of the said keeper member with the said outer peripheral portion thereof.

2. A resilient wheel as defined in claim 1 wherein the first said flange has apertures extending therethrough in relative alignment with the end of the central portion of the said keeper member, whereby pins may be inserted through said apertures to facilitate disengagement of said keeper from said hub.

CLARENCE R. BURRELL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 623,883 Cameron Apr. 25, 1899 1,424,203 Keller Aug. 1, 1922 1,761,526 Geyer June 3, 1930 1,982,043 Brownyer Nov. 27, 1934 2,224,478 Jones Dec. 10, 1940 2,269,821 Kemphert et a1. Jan. 13, 1942 2,477,874 Hudson Aug. 2, 1949 

